Public Event

St. Kate's Empty Bowls Bowl Making Events

St. Kate's Empty Bowls Spring 2019 Making EventsPlease join us in the Visual Arts Building Ceramics Studio on the Saint Paul Campus for the following bowl making events:

Making Bowls on the Wheel: February 23, 2019 1 - 4 p.m.
Making and Glazing: March 16, 2019 1 - 4 p.m.

All bowls made will be for sale at our Spring Soup Social. All proceeds benefit Open Arms of Minnesota, a nonprofit committed to feeding chronically ill patients and their caregivers.

The National EMPTY BOWLS Project began in 1990 when a high school art teacher in Michigan helped his students solve a problem. They were searching for a creative way to raise funds to support a food drive. What evolved was a class project to make ceramic bowls for a fundraising meal. Guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread, and were invited to keep their bowls as a reminder of hunger in the world.

By the following year, the originators had developed the concept into EMPTY BOWLS, a project to provide support for food banks, soup kitchens and other organizations that fight hunger. Since then, EMPTY BOWLS events have been held throughout the world, and millions of dollars have been raised to combat hunger.

St. Kate's Empty Bowls Project began in 2011 when Clay Club students decided that they wanted to join the National Empty Bowls Project. St. Kate's Empty Bowls Project makes bowls to raise funds for Open Arms of Minnesota, a nonprofit organization that cooks and delivers free nutritious meals to people living with life-threatening and chronic illness as well as their caregivers and dependents in the Twin Cities.

Open Arms was selected as the recipient of our work because of its focus on helping provide nutritious food for both those that are sick and their caregivers. It is a simple notion: people who are sick should not be without food. It is doubly important since many illnesses require special diets. Open Arms pays close attention to the individual nutritional needs of each recipient while preparing meals.

St. Kate's Empty Bowl Making Workshops are open to ALL. Students, faculty, staff, administration, alumnae, family and friends. No previous experience is needed and you are encouraged to attend multiple workshops to glaze, make more bowls and bring more friends. Classes or groups can schedule private workshops. For more information or questions, please contact clayclub@stkates.eduor Monica Rudquist at merudquist@stkate.edu

Workshops are led by St Kate's Clay Club members, a group of dedicated clay makers including students, alumnae, staff and faculty. Beyond making bowls, the workshops will include information about the history of Empty Bowls, empty bowls projects across the country and other ways art and social practice are being realized in the United States. Information about Open Arms and the dietary needs of those with Aids, HIV and Cancer will also be provided.

St. Kate's Empty Bowls Soup Socials are held twice during the academic year in The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. Soup Socials open to both the campus community and the public. Guest are served a bowl of soup and can select a bowl to keep as a reminder of those they have helped and those who are still in need.

Learn more: St. Kate's Empty Bowls Project has provided collaborations between St. Catherine University's Art and Art history Dpartment, the Clay Club and other disciplines on campus. Joshua Haringa’s Communications class produced this video to share the story of this unique, social justice project.

About Open Arms of Minnesota: Hear from Open Arms' clients and Executive Director Leah Hébert Welles about how Open Arms of Minnesota nourishes clients living with life-threatening illness with healthy, delicious meals.